Research

We believe it is important to offer our patients the opportunity to benefit from participation in ‘cutting edge’ health research. We have been involved in research for over 25 years and have a dedicated and enthusiastic research team.

As a research active practice we routinely screen electronic patient records to identify those who may be eligible to participate in research. A member of the research team may contact you if this is the case

We work as part of a group of primary care research teams called the Cornwall Clinical Research Group. We are proud winners of the ‘Embedding Research Culture Award 2019’, Highly commended in CRN Research Practice Award 2020, and received Bronze Award in The PharmaTimes International Clinical Researcher Awards 2021.

Background

Over 20,000 patients take part in health research in the South West of England each year. Many patients hear about the opportunity to participate in research through their GP and are recruited by their local practice.

There are rigorous processes in place, including a review by an NHS Research Ethics Committee, to protect the rights, dignity, safety and wellbeing of participants.

For more information about these standards and how patient information is used in research, please visit www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients. For further information regarding how your NHS data may be used for research and planning, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

Why do we do research?

  • Research study participants say benefits of taking part include:
  • Learning more about their health condition and how best to manage it
  • Feeling empowered
  • Access to the very latest treatments
  • Feeling good knowing helping others even if not going to necessarily reap the benefits directly themselves
  • Satisfaction of contributing to medical advances
  • Reassured health care professionals are doing their best for their patients
  • Reassured by closer monitoring of their health condition
  • Research can give hope to people with rare or difficult to treat illnesses

What are clinical trials?

Clinical trials are research studies which look at new treatments or approaches to the prevention or diagnosis of health conditions to confirm whether they are safe and effective.

Clinical trials are carried out in carefully planned phases, allowing researchers to answer specific research questions to provide reliable information in the best interests of participants.

Clinical trials are an important part of the process that the NHS goes through in making decisions about which approaches to prevent, diagnose or treat conditions should be made available to the public.

For more information, please visit the National Institute for Health and Care Research website.

Actively recruiting studies at Oak Tree and Pensilva

Cardiovascular disease

  • A trial of a new treatment for patients with a particular raised fat in their blood (triglycerides)
  • A study looking at whether it’s better to prescribe a blood thinner (anticoagulant) earlier in people with an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation)

Psoriasis

  • Investigation of a fish oil for the treatment of psoriasis.

Shingles

  • Trial of a treatment to prevent painful nerve pain often associated with shingles.

Patient Experience

  • A study looking at communication in Primary Care.

Asthma

  • A trial to find out how best to use inhaler steroids to treat children with mild asthma.

The RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre

This practice is one of over 600 practices in England contributing pseudonymised data for national research and surveillance.

These data enable continuous monitoring of infections and diseases in the community and is used in ethically approved research. The RCGP RSC is the main source of information for Public Health England (PHE) and helps with prediction and management of flu out-breaks and pandemics.

Providing pseudonymised data does not affect patients, their care or privacy, however if you no longer wish to allow your information to be used, please speak to your GP.

For further information please visit www.rcgp.org.uk/rsc or contact:

Other active studies at Oak Tree and Pensilva:

  • Cardiovascular disease: two trials of a new cholesterol lowering medication.
  • Blood pressure: trial of a new injectable treatment for raised blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Cholesterol: trial of a new injectable cholesterol lowering treatment

Some of our Completed studies

  • Trial of a vaccine against Clostridium Difficile.
  • Cardiovascular disease: a European wide survey of the prevention of heart disease in primary care.
  • Trial of a new treatment for recurrent vaginal thrush.
  • Trial of a new antibiotic for urinary tract infections.
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus: trial of a medication in protecting against the progression of kidney disease and heart failure.
  • Dermatology: trial of a new antimicrobial cream for impetigo
  • Cancer: study looking at improving the early diagnosis of bowel and lung cancer.
  • Mental health: a study looking at one-to-one support for people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Further Information

For further information about these studies or if you would like to be involved in research please contact:

  • Kathryn Beck – Research Nurse/Coordinator
  • Dr Graham Toms – Principle Investigator/ Sub Investigator
  • Dr Tamsin Simpkins – Principle Investigator/ Sub Investigator
  • Holly Green – Research Assistant

To find out about other national clinical research studies please visit www.ukctg.nihr.ac.uk. This is a national database held by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which is the research arm of the NHS. For further information regarding how you can take part in research, please visit www.bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk